Anker's $35 Smart Speaker With Built-in Alexa Claims Better Audio Than Amazon's Echo Dot

Thursday August 10, 2017 3:33 AM PDT by Tim Hardwick
Popular accessory company Anker launched its own low-cost smart speaker with built-in Alexa on Wednesday called the Eufy Genie. Costing $35, the Genie is a little bigger than Amazon's Echo Dot, which retails at $50, but claims to offer stronger bass and double the volume of Amazon's equivalent device thanks to a 2W speaker.

The Genie's list of features pretty much tallies with Echo Dot's abilities, so it can play music, control other smart home devices, order products, answer questions, set calendars, report the weather and news, and more.


According to Anker, it's also possible to use the Amazon Alexa app with the Genie to access over 10,000 skills and services, such as Pandora, Domino's Pizza, Uber, ESPN, NPR News, and more. Future updates from Eufy are said to include the ability directly control Spotify with your voice, and Alexa messaging and calling.

The Genie also links up to other smart products under Anker's Eufy brand, which include a robotic vacuum cleaner, air purifier devices, and a range of domestic lighting. According to The Verge, Anker also plans to introduce a $40 version of the Eufy Genie that includes Bluetooth support, which might let it connect to external speakers for playing music.

The Eufy Genie is available to pre-order off Amazon today but doesn't ship until August 16. Eufy plans to launch the speaker in Europe around mid-October. Further details on the Genie and Anker's other products under the Eufy brand can be found on the Eufy website.

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Tags: Anker, Amazon Echo, Alexa
40 comments


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Kangastu
10 months ago
Dear god that thing is ugly! Looks like a fat robot vacuum cleaner!
Rating: 2 Votes
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avanpelt
10 months ago

I will be honest with you, the majority of smart speakers on the market are not aesthetically pleasing. They all have this awkward, Somewhat unrefined look. As long as the results deliver, that's all I can ask for. But my sights are set on the HomePod.


My only potential problem with HomePod is Siri. Siri is the dumbest assistant of the major assistants out there. That's really a shame considering Siri has been around the longest of all of them.
Rating: 2 Votes
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LukeChannings
10 months ago
Better audio than the Echo Dot will be easy given the Echo Dot has no speakers.
Rating: 2 Votes
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69Mustang
10 months ago

So this seems sort of odd to me. Amazon is allowing other manufacturers to use Alexa in their devices AND Amazon is helping them sell them through Amazon.com in direct competition with Amazon-branded products? If Siri was included in some Chinese speaker/music product, what do you think the chance is that device would sit next to the Apple HomePod in the Apple Store? (hint...none).

Amazon wants people using their services. That's where the long term repeatable money is. Amazon doesn't care about a speaker. It's simply a means to an end.
Rating: 2 Votes
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RMo
10 months ago

Better audio than the Echo Dot will be easy given the Echo Dot has no speakers.


The Echo Dot does have built-in speakers; they're just not very good and really only intended for timers/alarms and voice responses (e.g., weather). It can play music, but I don't think Amazon ever really advertised it for such since the idea, of course, is that if you buy this you'll hook it up to your "good" speakers--but it does have speakers built-in.

But yes, having "better" speakers than the Dot, whose speakers were not intended to be good, is indeed a rather small feat. :)
Rating: 1 Votes
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Kangastu
10 months ago


But my sights are set on the HomePod.


I'm with you. HomePod for the win. Money is in the bank - just waiting for Tim Cook to pull the trigger :)
Rating: 1 Votes
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dmylrea
10 months ago
So this seems sort of odd to me. Amazon is allowing other manufacturers to use Alexa in their devices AND Amazon is helping them sell them through Amazon.com in direct competition with Amazon-branded products? If Siri was included in some Chinese speaker/music product, what do you think the chance is that device would sit next to the Apple HomePod in the Apple Store? (hint...none).
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
Glassed Silver
10 months ago

So this seems sort of odd to me. Amazon is allowing other manufacturers to use Alexa in their devices AND Amazon is helping them sell them through Amazon.com in direct competition with Amazon-branded products? If Siri was included in some Chinese speaker/music product, what do you think the chance is that device would sit next to the Apple HomePod in the Apple Store? (hint...none).

Amazon is a services and software company first and foremost (online retail aside).

They literally don't give a damn how you access their products.

They will embrace competition using their software, because they hope that others can fill the gaps in their targeted demographics/preferences.

Glassed Silver:ios
Rating: 1 Votes
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Relentless Power
10 months ago
Interesting to see Anker contribute in the smart speaker market. Granted it's only really competing with the Dot, Having stronger audio is an advantage when using these devices across the room or simply for other media. For $35.00, this is a decent starting price and Anker makes quality products.
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Dear god that thing is ugly! Looks like a fat robot vacuum cleaner!


I will be honest with you, the majority of smart speakers on the market are not aesthetically pleasing. They all have this awkward, Somewhat unrefined look. As long as the results deliver, that's all I can ask for. But my sights are set on the HomePod.
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
69Mustang
10 months ago


<snipped for brevity and clarity>
So you are right: I doubt there would ever be a Siri-driven speaker made by someone like Anker for sale in an Apple store. But it's no surprise Amazon would have 10 Alexa-driven clones for sale in the Amazon store. Amazon is playing for voice assistant dominance/ubiquity. Apple is playing for maximum profit-per-product sold in the now. Buy this voice controlled speaker for $39 or buy HomePod for nearly 10X higher price?

Hmmm, looks like someone needed to get something off his chest this morning.:D
Rating: 1 Votes
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